


How Can it be Forbidden if It's Love?

by astudyinfic



Series: Flash Bang #1 (Indigo Team) [4]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Coming Out, Court Sorcerer Magnus Bane, Forbidden Love, Happily Ever After, M/M, Prince Alec Lightwood, Royalty AU, forced marriage (attempted), secret romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 07:41:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14374092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: As the Crown Prince of Idris, Alec must marry the woman of his father's choosing.Which would have been bad enough if he hadn't already given his heart away to the man of his dreams.Square #7: Royalty AU





	How Can it be Forbidden if It's Love?

**Author's Note:**

> So, this got away from me. It was supposed to be a cute 1K one-shot and somehow became this. I have no other explanation. I'm sorry.

“Alexander” Magnus groaned, emptying himself deep inside his lover before collapsing down on top of him.  “God, darling, every time we do that you just get better.”

Alec, for his part, struggled to catch his own breath.  He was sweaty, covered in his own release and filled with Magnus’.  They weren’t supposed to be doing this. His father called a meeting in just under fifteen minutes but they’d learned to take the time when they could find it.  And the prince wasn’t going to pass up any opportunity to be in bed with the Court Sorcerer. Magnus softened and slipped from Alec’s body, leaving him bereft and clenching around nothing.  “I don’t think I can get up. They’ll have to have the meeting without me,” he sighed, pulling Magnus close and kissing him gently.

Magnus scoffed but made no move to get up.  “Yes, I’m sure the king would appreciate that message.   _Prince Alexander sends his regrets.  He wished to come to the meeting but your court sorcerer fucked him so well he can’t get out of bed._ You don’t, maybe, see any issue there?”

He joked but Alec knew the seriousness that hid behind the words.  What they were doing was, technically speaking, illegal. Alec was the crown prince, heir to the throne and the one who would have to marry and continue the bloodline.  He never wanted any of that, much happier living in the shadow of his siblings but the fact that he was born first meant that his role in life had been set from the moment he made his first cry.  So even if he wanted to, there was nothing he could do but follow along with the law of the land and his father’s wishes.

He’d known since he was small that he was required to take a wife, to wait for her to share their marriage bed.   While his siblings had all the fun they wanted with whoever they were dating, Alec had to save himself for marriage.  It was outdated and stupid and, without his father’s consent, he knew there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

But that hadn’t stopped him from falling in love, with the one person he really shouldn’t have fallen for. Because not only was the love of his life a man, he was also the warlock assigned to serve the throne. Warlocks were considered a necessary evil, people that were tolerated for their usefulness but otherwise disdained and ignored. For the Crown Prince to be in love with one would be a scandal of the highest order.

And for the Prince to be sleeping with him?  Well, it was punishable by death (for Magnus) and banishment (for Alec). It hadn’t stopped them but it made them excessively careful because nothing was more important to them than the other’s health and safety. So they snuck around, stealing moments when they could and hoping beyond hope that they would be able to stall Alec’s eventual marriage until he was king and able to do something about it personally.

“Darling, you need to get ready. You and I both know you can’t be late for this meeting.”  They didn’t know the details but as the king called it for not only Alec but also several other important members of the royal cabinet, they knew it had to be important.  Magnus sighed, kissing him once more before hurrying to throw on his clothes and disappear out an old servant’s passage they used to sneak between their rooms unseen, tossing a quick “I love you” over his shoulder before disappearing from sight.

He hated when his father called these late meetings. It usually meant something awful, and it took away from his time with his lover. Alec hoped this meeting would be short enough that he could still entertain Magnus once more before the sun came up.  With that thought in mind, he hurried to dress and get to his father’s office as quickly as he could.

Giving a sharp rap at his father’s door, he was greeted by a stern “Enter!” and let himself inside.

He nodded at the assembled party.  His mother, the queen, by his father’s side, looking even more formidable than King Robert, though Alec could still see love in her eyes when she looked at her children.  These days Robert looked to him as a soldier and an heir, not a beloved or even a wanted son.

No, Rovert loved his other children.  Alec was a necessary evil.

If the King could have given the kingdom to Jace or even Max, Alec knew he would have done so in a heartbeat.

Thankfully, Jace sat there as well. His presence was almost always comforting, but the head of the guard was always involved in questions about the kingdom’s safety, which raised alarms in Alec’s head.  Hodge, his father's Chief Intelligence Officer, and Raj, Hodge’s assistant, rounded out the party.  Along with Magnus, who looked far too put together for what they had been doing not twenty minutes beforehand.  It was hard not to grin when he remember how disheveled Magnus looked leaving Alec’s bed.

Schooling his features into what he hoped was a neutral expression, Alec forced his attention back to the king and bowed, “Your Majesty, you wished to see me?”

“It took you long enough, Alexander.  Had this been an assassination attempt, I would have been dead by now.”

“It’s Alec, please, Father.”  Alexander might be his name but only one person was allowed to use it.  Coming from anyone else, it just sounded wrong. “What is going on? I’m assuming there is a reason for this meeting.”

His father laughed, an empty, humorless sound, but it was the gleam in his eyes that had Alec’s stomach sinking.  This involved him, he knew it. And whatever it was, he wouldn’t like it. “We need an alliance with another strong kingdom, one that would stand with us if Morgenstern ever attacks.”

Jace gave him an apologetic smile, all that Alec needed to see where this was going.  He’d been hoping to avoid this day, doing everything he could to prove that he would be a good and capable king, even without a wife and queen by his side.  And maybe, he hoped his father would see that a loveless marriage was not what Alec wanted, and his hopes and desires would finally be accounted for, for once.

But nothing was more important than their kingdom as far as Robert was concerned, and certainly not anything to do with the happiness of his eldest child.  

“It’s time for the heir to the throne to take a wife.”

Two sighs sounded in the room.  

One from the crown prince.  

And the other from his secret lover.

“Father, I don’t want this.  I don’t understand that law and I won’t go through with it.”  Alec knew in the end that he would have no choice but he wouldn’t let this go without a fight.  This was his life his father was playing with and he wanted to believe that he could have a say in this.

Of course, he couldn’t.  Robert stood up, placing his hands on the desk as he leaned forward to glare at Alec.  “No one cares what you want. You will do your duty to this family and your country and you will do it with a smile on your face.  Do not forget your place, Alec. You serve me and you serve Idris. That is all. You most certainly do not serve yourself.”

Balling his hands at his sides, Alec took two deep breaths, one to calm his anger and the other to steady himself for the idea that had been in his head for a while now.  “Can I at least choose from the people you select? Give me a list and I will pick the one that I would most like to spend my life with. Can you at least grant me that small request?”  He did his best not to look at Magnus, seeing the hurt pass over his face at the knowledge that he would not be able to marry the one he actually loved. Their time together was drawing to an end, whether they wanted it to or not.

Robert seemed to consider the words and Alec breathed a sigh of relief when his father finally nodded.  “You have one week to make the decision. I will have a file with all the appropriate candidates placed on your desk in two days.  You are dismissed.” Robert left the room, followed closely by Maryse who placed a hand on Alec’s shoulder and gave him a quick smile, though he could see the sadness in her eyes.  The sadness he knew was reflected ten-fold in his own.

“Jace, a word?” Alec asked, nodding towards the door.  The Head of Security followed and Alec looked at Magnus, giving him the smallest of smiles.  He wanted to be able to talk to his lover, to get his permission for what he was going to do but there were too many people around and time was of the essence.  He didn’t miss the pain in Magnus’ eyes and swore to himself that this would work.

If it didn’t, they would flee to Magnus’ home in Edom. He wouldn’t put Magnus in danger but he also wouldn’t give up the man he loved.  If it meant giving up the crown, so be it. There had to be a compromise.

Jace followed silently, something Alec was thankful for.  Alec walked right past his own office and to Izzy’s chambers.  He would need the help of both of them, as well as Jace’s wife Clary if he was going to pull it off.  

“I’m not marrying any of them,” he said without prelude the moment the door was shut.  “However, I will need your help. If we get caught, it will probably mean my exile and the death of someone I love so we need to do this as carefully as possible.”  

Alec loved that his siblings didn’t even question it, just nodded and sat forward, as he outlined his plan.  It would require his own knowledge of the kingdom’s history and former allies, Isabelle’s skills as a scholar, Jace’s access to their father’s office, and Clary’s artistic skill.  And they only had a couple hours to pull this off. They all agreed and hurried off without another word, though Izzy gave him a quick hug and knowing he had their support gave him the strength to go back to his rooms, to face what he knew he would find there.  

Magnus would forgive him, he knew that.  Alec loved him and he was doing this for them.  But if he told Magnus, the other would tell him it was too dangerous and try to talk him out of it.  Alec didn’t want to be dissuaded. _Couldn’t_ be dissuaded.  This was his life and it was Magnus’ and Alec refused to let any law dictate who he could love.  

He stepped into the room and saw his lover there, standing by the window, staring out over the kingdom.  “Alexander,” Magnus greeted him, voice hard and not even turning around to look at Alec. “You already have someone in mind, don’t you?”

Without telling Magnus everything, this was a conversation that was bound to hurt them both but it was for their own good.  Alec had to keep telling himself that. “I do,” he admitted, stepping closer to Magnus, near enough he could pull him into an embrace if the warlock let him.  “You know I love you, Magnus. I would do anything to have this with you. But I can’t get around my father’s edict, not without risking your life and mine.  I need his permission and you and I both know he will never grant it to the two of us.”

“I don’t want you to marry her,” Magnus whispered.  “I don’t care who she is, she isn’t good enough for you.”  Alec was inclined to agree. There would never be a woman he loved half as much as the man standing in front of him.  

Cupping Magnus’ cheek, he forced his lover to look at him, horrified to see the tears in those golden eyes he loved so much.  “Do you trust me, Magnus?”

“With all my heart,” Magnus replied without hesitation.  They closed the distance between them and kissed, gentle and chaste.  Alec could feel his lover’s heartbreak in the kiss and he could only hope Magnus felt the hope he was offering.  They could make this work if his siblings did their part and his father was as uninterested in picking Alec’s bride as he thought Robert would be.  

When the broke apart, they rested their foreheads together, and Alec smiled at him, wiping away the tear that fell silently down Magnus’ cheek.  “Then trust me. We have this week. Let’s cherish that and worry about everything else later.”

Two days later, when the folder appeared on his desk, Alec flipped through it as quickly as possible.  And there, he saw exactly what he was looking for. Everyone played their parts perfectly and Robert unwittingly gave Alec what he needed to solve his problem.  There was no question which of the possible people he would choose. Only one of them held his heart, after all.  Alec could relax for now  he’d done everything he could  

The day of the announcement, Robert - who loved to be the center of attention even if he wasn’t the one being honored - called for all of the court to be there to witness Prince Alexander pick his bride.  The night before, Alec held Magnus close, whispering promises into his hair after his lover had fallen asleep, the tears in his eyes a sign that even though he trusted Alec, Magnus couldn’t quite bring himself to trust the situation they found themselves in.  “I love you, Magnus. It will be okay. Just...trust me.”

And so now he stood there in front of those he would one day rule, crown on his head and love in his heart as he looked out over the faces.  To the side stood the Court Sorcerer, trying for all the world to look like he was enjoying the festivities as much as everyone else. Alec could see the sadness in his glamoured eyes, even from here, and knew he would be able to take it all away soon.  

“The time has come,” Robert announced to the assembly, “for the heir to choose his bride.  Unlike in previous generations where the King has chosen for the prince, His Royal Highness and I made an arrangement that he could choose from a list of candidates that I myself prepared.  Even I do not know who he has chosen, but I know that any one of them would be a wonderful queen.”

Alec could barely restrain his smirk, even as he saw Magnus surreptitiously wipe away a tear.  “Father?” Alec asked, needing to get this over with as soon as he could for Magnus’ sake as well as his own.  “I realize that what I have asked is unconventional and technically contrary to the laws of Idris. You give me permission to marry the one I choose out of the folder you have given to me, even if it is not in accordance with our laws?”

He could see his father growing impatient but stared blankly at him, waiting for the response he needed before he said his choice.  “Of course, you have my word,” Robert sighed, waving him on so they could get to the party that would follow and he could sign the treaty and agreement with the country of Alec’s chosen wife.  

“Thank you, father, for you have made me very happy.”  Alec pulled the page from the folder, the one that held the description of the one he would marry, and looked virtually identical to any other page in there.  Alec recognized Clary’s handiwork, however, and would need to remember to thank her afterward. He could see Magnus starting to slip out the back of the room, so he said without further prelude, “Because, with your blessing, I choose to marry the rightful heir to the throne of Edom.”  

Everyone froze, staring at him in confusion as it was well known that King Asmodeus had no living children.  His late wife Lestari bore him one son but died soon after. The son vanished and everyone expected he was dead also.  “That is impossible,” Robert said, pushing himself to his feet. He grabbed the paper from Alec’s hand and looked at the writing there.  Clear as day were the words “born of Asmodeus” in Latin, the proper terminology for the heir to the throne. There was no name, just a birthday and general description of the person’s looks with a wealth of information about the country they would inherit someday.  

“When did Asmodeus have a child and how have I not heard about this?” Robert bellowed at Hodge and Raj who were his intelligence officers, in charge of keeping him up to date on all knowledge that would impact the kingdom.  

Hodge shrugged, “I have heard of no child besides the son who died when his mother did.  If he has a daughter, he has kept it well secret until now.” He left unsaid that Robert had clearly approved of this document since it was in Alec’s file and bore the king’s seal.  “Prince Alexander, have you met your betrothed?”

Smiling, Alec nodded, his eyes turning towards the door where Mangus stood frozen in place, mouth agape as if he could not believe this turn of events.  “In fact, I have. The heir to Edom’s throne has captured my heart in a way that I never once expected. They live here, in Idris, and serve at the king’s discretion.”  If anyone noticed his choice of pronouns, they said nothing.

He could see both Hodge and Robert’s minds racing as they tried to pick out which woman on the palace staff was actually a princess in hiding.  Neither paid attention to the Court Sorcerer pushing his way to the front of the room, obviously over his shock. “You promised, father. I can marry anyone in that folder.  As the page clearly has your seal, you approved of this potential union and can take no issue with my choice,” Alec hurried to say, knowing there was about to be an uproar.

When Magnus reached the front of the room, Alec offered him his hand, pulling him up on the dais to stand next to him.  “Warlock, your services aren’t required at this time,” Robert scowled, still trying to decide who his son was marrying.

“Your forgiveness, your majesty, but I do believe that my services are very much required.”  Robert opened his mouth to argue before seeing Magnus’ hand entwined with Alec’s own. “You know me as Magnus Bane, the name given to me by my tutor here in Idris, Ragnor Fell.  He thought that going by my proper name and title would give me a reason to think myself better than everyone else. So, let me introduce myself properly. My name is Magnus, son of Asmodeus, Crown Prince of Edom, Court Sorcerer of Idris.  And the man who somehow captured the love of Prince Alexander.”

Uproar, it turned out, was putting it mildly.  All hell broke loose as the women and their guardians who had come to the ceremony with the hope of being named Princess of Idris were outraged, Robert was outraged, Maryse was shocked, and the remaining princes and princess were laughing harder than Alec ever saw.  But when Robert turned on them and came after Magnus, Jace stepped in front of the newly betrothed couple, sword raised. “Your majesty, the whole court was witness to you giving your blessing to this union. If you wish to have words with the prince, I suggest you do it in private.”

Robert stormed off with Maryse close behind.  “Thank you, Jace,” Alec whispered, knowing they had to follow.  

“Take care of one another.  God knows Alec deserves it,” Jace grinned, nodding for him to go after his dad.

The moment they were out of the room but before making it to the king’s offices, Magnus pushed Alec against the wall and kissed him slow and deep, a promise of what was to come.  “You never cease to amaze me, Alexander. You do realize how stupid that was, don’t you?”

“Of course,” Alec shrugged, unable to keep the smile off his face.  He didn’t care if it was stupid, it worked and now he would be able to marry the man he loved, with Robert unable to do a thing about it.  “I didn’t exactly ask your father’s permission, though. Will this be okay with Edom?”

Magnus laughed, “Of course it will.  We aren’t quite as backward as some other countries I could name.  I think he'll be impressed more than anything else.”  

“Maybe together we can start getting rid of some of the old-fashioned laws,” Alec grinned and Magnus nodded.  Squaring his shoulders, Alec sighed and nodded. He knew what he needed to do, even if it would be awful. “Okay, if you don’t want to face my dad, you could go back to my chambers.  I’ll meet you there in a few minutes.”

“We’re a team now, Alexander.  Wherever you go, I go. We can face this together.”

Their hands linked together, the two of them stepped into Robert’s office, shoulders back and heads held high.  They didn’t have to apologize for their relationship, didn’t have to fear. Alec worked the system so they were safe.  The king gave his blessing and there was nothing he could do about it, that wouldn’t result in Robert forfeiting his own right to the throne and handing it over to Alec and his soon-to-be husband.

“Just what do you think you are playing at?” Robert hissed the moment he saw them.  “You! You have put a spell on my son. Take it off or I will have you put to death.  No wonder your father threw you out. The horror of having a warlock and a... a...”

“Bisexual, your highness, I believe is the word you are looking for.  I enjoy the company of men and women, but for so long now, I’ve only enjoyed the company of Alexander and that is how I intend for it to be for the rest of our lives.”  Magnus spoke so calmly that the vein in Robert’s head pulsed in anger.  "As for my father, when it turned out that my magic was stronger than even his own, he sent me to someone who could teach me what I needed to know.  He did not  _throw me out_ as you suggest, but rather did what was best for me and will be thrilled to know that I have found such happiness in my life."

“You’ve used your magic to turn my son towards your perversions and I will not have it.”

“Father, STOP!” Alec never raised his voice to his father and it shocked everyone in the room into silence.  “I love Magnus and it has nothing to do with his magic. I’ve always been like this, whether you wanted to see it or not.  I’m the same person I’ve always been, now everything’s just out in the open. You gave your blessing to our union through your own hubris.  Your seal is on that document and you announced to the whole court that I could marry whichever person in there that I chose. I choose Magnus and that is final.”

Robert sat dumbstruck and Alec stared back at him, daring him to say anything.  When he didn’t, Alec led Magnus from the office and down to his own chambers. “What do you say to a summer wedding?” he asked, unable to stop the joyous smile that lit up his face.

Magnus smiled back at him, “What do you say to getting married next week?”

Next week proved too much of a challenge, but within twenty days, the wedding of Crown Prince Alexander of Idris and Crown Prince Magnus of Edom drew people from every country in the land.  King Asmodeus sat on one side, beaming proudly at his son while Queen Maryse sat on the other, beaming at hers. King Robert was noticeably absent, something that was the talk of the celebration that followed the ceremony.  

The two men were wed in the first ceremony of its kind for Idris, but both Magnus and Alec vowed that it would not be the last.  And when the court demanded Robert’s abdication six weeks after the wedding, Alec was crowned King of Idris, with Magnus as the Prince Consort.  Robert left the country, finding solace with distant kin in the kingdom of Angeles while his wife stayed behind as the Queen mother, supporting their son and his husband.  

Magnus and Alec’s union brought much-needed change and prosperity to both lands.  Edom opened up trade with Idris, now that warlocks and others who had once been despised were now treated in Idris as full citizens.  The warlocks, in return, revered their new rulers, amazed that the son of King Robert who could have had any love in all the land, chose a warlock and Edomai to be his consort.

As a king, Robert was difficult and temperamental, not someone whom anyone wished to deal with.  Alexander, on the other hand, was known as a fair and kind ruler, who took into account the best interest of all people, not just his own.  He changed many of the laws, allowing men and women to marry whom they chose and even presided over the wedding of his sister to the love of her life, Lady Maia Roberts a few years later.  

The night of Izzy’s wedding, when the princess and her lady danced to the delight of everyone. the King and his consort snuck from the room to a balcony overlooking the garden. The King’s personal guard and best friend stepped in front of the entry, barring anyone from intruding on the private moment.

“My liege,” Magnus teased, taking Alec’s hand and kissing it gently.  “You look beautiful tonight.”

“You look beautiful every night, Magnus,” Alec smiled in return.  “Izzy looked happy, don’t you think?”

Magnus’ glanced back towards the ballroom and nodded, “Isabelle and Maia were both resplendent, but if I am being honest, I was unable to take my eyes away from the bride’s brother.  He is captivating in every sense.”

Even after all these years, Alec blushed and looked down.  As king, many people complimented and flattered him on a daily basis, doing whatever was necessary to gain the favor of the monarch.  But with Magnus, the words were given freely because he honestly and truly believed what he said. “I love you, Magnus.”

“And I love you, my darling, Alexander.”  The two met somewhere in the middle, sharing a kiss under the stars while the soft stanzas of their sister’s wedding waltz drifted over them.

And they lived happily ever after.  

 

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at me on tumblr at [brooklynxmagic](http://brooklynxmagic.tumblr.com) or [astudyinfic](http://astudyinfic.tumblr.com)


End file.
